Believe it or not, despite the amount of comic books I appear to read over the course of my life (which often feels excessive ... ok, maybe not), there are often comics which slip through the cracks amongst my collection. These are titles which, despite being owned for months and even years, I have never opened up and read.
Many, many years ago (so many, in fact, that I cant remember how many), my father bought me a copy of the complete collection of Alex + Ada. I had initially read this series in digital as it had been released and loved it so much that when I saw the collection, I expressed my desire to have it and my good old dad obliged.
Unfortunately, despite owning such a gorgeous looking book and remembering how much I enjoyed the series as singles, I had never actually opened up this collection and read it.
Until this past week.
Alex + Ada: the complete collection was originally going to be a post that I put up on valentine's day as a sort of celebration focus... thing. As such, I opened the cover 15 days in advance (one per issue) as well as a couple of days to write my thoughts. The fact that, as I post this, it isnt valentine's day should kinda say everything about how good this series actually is.
Alex + Ada tells the story of Alex a mid-twenties man in a future world who is still recovering from the abrupt departure of his former fiancee. Unable to shake his melancholy, Alex receives an unexpected gift in the form of Ada, a life-like android who is almost indistinguishable from a real person, less a distinct personality. However, this missing piece turns out to be too big for Alex to ignore as he finds a way to unlock Ada and allow both to embark on a journey neither expected to be on.
I've probably hammed up that explanation incredibly when I could have easily said 'a man and a robot start living together I dream of Jeanie style' but I really felt this series deserved something more. The truth is, as if I haven't alluded to it already, Alex + Ada is a truly phenomenal series.
I really do love this book because the story, while rather simple (there is next to nothing of elaborate plot points or set ups), is so earnestly and poignantly told that, even all these years later after having already read it through once, I found myself totally hooked and astounded by how incredible a story this is. I thought Sarah Vaughn did an astonishing job with this series. The pacing was a nice gentle pace that matched the tone of the story and the characters, who were ultimately the reason the story stood so well, were written and formed gorgeously.
I think what I loved most was that the focus was split equally between both Alex and Ada. It was so refreshing that both were treated equally, with their respective arcs starting with them waking up, as if the following five issues were the start of a new day (which, technically, they were) before the final five seeing them focused together. Both Alex and Ada felt so real as I read through this that I couldn't help hut be enthralled in their lives, from Alex's uncertainty to Ada's almost childlike appreciation and love of everything (even the idea of boiling water). Then, of course there was the abundance of supporting characters who made the whole story richer as well as helped move it along. As I read on, it struck me how almost every character within the lead pairs respective social circles seemed like differing extremes along the line between loving robots and fearing them. These included both Franklin and Jacob's cynicism and fear respectively of their opposite species, Isabel's dislike and Levy's love.
Also (and maybe I saw too much into this), as I read Alex + Ada i felt like i was seeing a lot of social commentary on various human relationships and form of discrimination. For instance, the idea that android must constantly pretend to be 'locked' heavily implied a LGBT comparison (despite minimal representation) as the fear of being outed was heavily stated. Also, both Isabel and Jacob's actions also seemed to imply a more racist overtone, as the feeling of android rising up and/or forgetting their place is another heavy implication I got through the story. Of course, this might all have been a case of me seeing things that weren't really there in a straightforward love story.
Now, I did have questions as I reached the end, such as where were Alex's parents and what was Su's outcome by the end. I also found myself wondering about the very Graduate-esque finale which, while being a happy ending of sorts, begged the question of what would happen next in a similar bittersweet way (although there was a throwaway line that maybe explains that for me if I want to be optimistic).
Anyway, as for the art, I think it's fair of me to say that I am equally in love with the work of Jonathan Luna here as I am Sarah Vaughn's words. I thought the art in this series was absolutely phenomenal, with the seemingly part Japanese manga inspired, part ethereal fantasy look give the series such a distinct visual that I actually thought really suited the futuristic setting. That said, if there was one thing that really stood out to me, it was the way Luna used multiple panels on a page to show the most minor of change. This gave me the idea of a world that moved incredibly realistically and where every subtly in emotion beyond words was important. In fact, out of all the comics I've read, this sequential style has to be the one that has influenced my thinking when I have ideas of my own. Finally, the art throughout is incredible with, no single page ever outgoing the rest. However, if I had to pick some with a gun to my head I would have to say the covers. This because, while I had never really taken them in previously, time and wisdom made me appreciate them all the more now. As a result, I had forgotten how beautiful they all were, as if they were depicting a love story through these fifteen images alone.
All these years later, I can never remember the reason why I choose to pick up this comic as opposed to another indie crime/thriller or big two superhero. However, this last week has reminded me about how grateful I am that, whatever that reason, it was enough. I've said it many times so far but Alex + Ada is a truly incredible series, as a story told with such beauty that is only matched by its art. I remember now why I always felt so highly of this series and also why I needed a print copy of it because this series is a must read and deserves a place amongst my best of's in the world.
I'm glad it took the chance on it when I did.
Oh, and before I forget ...
First up I reviewed
Ruination #1 and I have to confess, I wasn't quite sure what I'd think of this before delving in. Fortunately though, Ruination turned out to be quite a nice read, although it wasn't all plain sailing. This is because, as I mention in the review, I thought the beginning was immensely crowded and convoluted, effectively making it a struggle to get through initially.
Thankfully, this stopped being the case about half way in where everything, both the story and world, opened up. This, as well as a less frenetic pace really helped me get into it better.
The art, on the other, I loved from the start. I've said it reminds me of a few different comics and the way they look, the colour, the smoothness of the pencils, the way they pop, doesn't change my mind on either that opinion or my enjoyment of this issue.
By the end, I felt thoroughly engrossed in Ruination, with an many questions in my head regarding the crystal, why Elene has it and why Silas wants it. As such, with the most crowded bit out of the way, I think the series has some potential and I'd be back for another issue or two as a result.
After that I reviewed the Picture of Everything Else #1 from Vault Comics. I have to admit that I was intrigued about this comic simply because Vault's catalogue has always been worth the read. Fortunately, POEE didn't choose to buck the trend as it to was captivating read.
That said, I didn't think it started out that way as I found it a little confusing to begin with. However, by the end, I really thought it had found its groove and had me eager to come back for more.
The art meanwhile was gorgeous and absolutely loved it's 'like a painting' look which fitted perfectly for the world it was set in. The colours too I thought were used brilliantly, giving it a grounded, aristocratic vibe to begin with but then flipping it 180 with a deep red horror-esque look by the end.
I have to admit that I've done well with the reviews so far this year in that they are all something I want to read more of and the Picture of Everything Else is yet another title to that list.
Oh, and finally, I also got the chance to interview the awesome pairing of Joe Glass and Vince Underwood about their new comic the Miracles, the Kickstarter campaign for which has already begun (as of my posting this). Both Joe and Vince are awesome guys and the series sounds killer so do check it out (the kickstarter if not the interview, bit why not both).
So that's another week (and a bit) done for me and, if I'm honest, putting in the time to read this version of a great story was time well spent. I just have to hope the next title will be burned through as quickly.
But given that I'm finally biting the bullet with Mister Miracle, I'll settle for it be enjoyable.
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